


Before We Sleep

by Mayonne



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Affection, Alistair is a goober, Established Relationship, F/M, Kisses, Laughter, Love, Romance, Tickles, Warden is a sweetheart, named warden, so much cute, this is nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9644537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayonne/pseuds/Mayonne
Summary: Just another night on the road as Alistair and Riel Surana go through their usual nightly routine before going to sleep. It's a small moment in comparison to their greater adventure, but during the Blight, a moment of love and laughter can mean everything.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I adore Dragon Age, and I adore Alistair. He's my go-to whenever playing Origins. The Warden Surana is based on my own customization (with the help of a few mods). And the armor that they wear is from the [ Grey Wardens of Ferelden ](http://social.bioware.com/uploads_project/project_photos/5000/4662/4362.jpg) mod.

Alistair ran his hands through his hair again, trying to get it a bit drier. He and the rest of the group had encountered a small group of darkspawn not long before they finally set up camp, and during the fight the splatter had gotten onto his face and into his hair. The feeling of the black colored blood from the creatures lingering on his skin was enough for him to make faces, which he made again when he finally got the chance to rinse it off (but by then it had dried and tried to remain caked on him). 

Everyone was already settled into their places at camp, showing that they were getting more and more proficient in their set-up and take-down of the area, thus capable of moving on faster. As usual, Sten was off to the side, barely within the glow of the fire, as he stood guard. Leiliana and Zevran were chatting, though from the former lay sister’s expressions Zevran was purposefully getting her riled up or flustered. Wynne remained the watchful mother figure, as she always did. And Morrigan, as usual, was as far removed from the rest as she could be without actually disappearing into the thicket they had settled themselves by.

Alistair didn’t pay them much attention.

Whatever frustration he felt from the day’s earlier events almost immediately slipped from his mind when he entered their tent and laid eyes on her. 

Riel’s red hair hung freely around her neck and shoulders. She always pulled it out of its usual ponytail she kept it in once they made camp, letting the slight wave in it finally appear. She was currently kneeling just off to the side of their shared bedroll so as not to deal with bending over awkwardly while inside the tent, and looking over their armors to make sure that there wasn’t some small hole in the fabric or a loose piece of metal. When he gently opened the tent’s flap, her warm, whisky colored eyes met his. 

He returned her smile and quickly closed the space between them as he got down on his knees next to her and kissed her. Soon enough his kisses were trailing off from her mouth to every possible place on her face. With her face covered in freckles he liked to make the excuse that each little spot was a place to kiss her. The gesture made her giggle and shy away, though he followed her, regardless, and left one more kiss to her lips. Maker, how he adored her.

“Missed me, did you?” she asked, the sound of her giggle still lingering in her voice.

“Of course,” he replied with a silly, though affectionate, smile on his face. “The river was so far away,” he continued, his voice taking on a whining yet playful tone. “And you were all the way back here.”

“But you made it back. I’m proud of you,” she teased, smiling, as she leaned forward to kiss him this time. 

Alistair rested his forehead on her shoulder as she finished up looking over their armor. In those moments he took in the feeling of her moving, listened in for the quiet sounds or comments she’d make about something in their armor and how she’d fix it, and even took in her scent. Having lived in the Circle for most of her life Riel had better hygiene habits, and made sure that he kept his up as well. At times he would fuss about it, being too tired or too sore after a long day, but it was always worth it to feel even a little bit more clean when they finally settled down to sleep.

Riel folded up the topmost layer of her warden robes and set it off to the side next to the pieces of Alistair’s armor. Her leaning forward to do so made some of her hair slip over her shoulder and expose a bit of her slender neck, and Alistair, with a smirk, leaned in towards it. The feel of his lips on her skin there, along with the sensation of his warm breath made her visibly shiver. And as he nuzzled further past her hair to reach up to her equally slender ear he heard her giggle again. She tried to shy away, curling into herself, but Alistair’s arm was already snaking around her waist.

This wasn’t the first time he was making such a move. “Alistair, don’t,” she said as she tried to make herself sound authoritative, but the tickling sensation on her skin kept her smiling. And, honestly, she sounded slightly fearful due to her knowing how this was going to go.

He lunged, his arm gripping at her waist, as they flopped onto the bedroll. He attacked her mercilessly, kissing and nibbling at her neck and ear. The initial surprise caused Riel to squeak, and then dissolve into laughter, occasionally wheezing out pleas of no and stop. She squirmed before she tried to curl into herself again in an attempt to save herself from him, but their position left Alistair with the advantage. Both knew that the other enjoyed moments like these, so neither actually did anything to try to make it end any sooner. 

It wasn’t until Riel could hardly breathe from all her laughter that Alistair finally pulled away and looked down at her fondly. The way her lips were parted as she panted, her chest rising and falling more noticeably, and the faint flush to her cheeks caused desire to rise within the warrior, but the happy, affectionate look in her eyes left him feeling content to remain as they were for the night. 

“Maker’s breath, you’re beautiful,” he whispered as he returned to leaving soft kisses across her freckled face. He leaned into her touch when she reached up with both hands and brushed her fingers all over his own face. “I love you, Riel.”

“I love you, Alistair,” she breathed. 

What had he done to be graced with a woman like her? Despite her being a mage, and an elf, she never let any of the discrimination or wary looks dampen her spirit. And though she mourned with him at the loss of the Wardens she was the first to rise again and help him continue forward with her. She was so understanding and kind, willing to take the time to help others with their troubles, even if, in the end, her efforts weren’t as appreciated as they ought to be. She looked out for everyone, whether in camp, on the road, or in battle, and she would push herself to make sure everyone made it out of any situation alright. 

Alistair gave her one more kiss, letting it linger before he pulled away and the two could settle themselves down properly. Riel nestled close to him as he drew the blanket over them and made the little wisp magical light she had conjured dissipate, quickly making the glow of the fire outside their only source of light. Their legs soon became tangled and he breathed a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her hair. Through all the fighting and everything else around him he was more than grateful to have these moments with her. She gave him a reason to keep going when he had lost everything, and whatever else in his heart that had not been filled, she and her love took care of it. 

“Good night, Alistair.”

With his eyes already closed, and a smile that would linger on his face through the night, he softly pressed a kiss into her hair. “Sleep well, love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Check out my [ TUMBLR ](http://jarofmayonnaise.tumblr.com/) to see what nonsense I like and reblog! Or, feel free to leave me a message~


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